A rivalry could be brewing between Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud called Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons more than a friend. The second-year passer said Parsons is more like family and considers him “definitely a brother.
On Monday, Parsons, a favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year, will play the role of bully older brother when trying to bring down Stroud behind the line of scrimmage at AT&T Stadium.
Good. Stroud wants Monday’s matchup to be a challenge.
“All that stuff is fun, but we will both be locked in and ready to win on Monday and ready to do our jobs to get a victory,” Stroud said Thursday of the matchup.
Once opponents in the Big Ten at Ohio State and Penn State, Parsons and Stroud first bonded when the latter appeared on the defensive end’s podcast “The Edge.” That transformed into a weekend of draft coverage with Bleacher Report.
Eventually, the two’s friendship went international as part of the ambassadors of the American football program. Stroud and Parsons visited Beijing and Shanghai in China and Toyko in Japan while conducting football clinics.
It was there a friendship formed to brotherhood.
“(We’re) always messing with each other, always trying to one up one another,” Stroud said. “I have that relationship with my friends back home, too. I had my buddy (in Asia); he had his friend who came from home. We all just had a brotherhood when we left.”
Parsons and Stroud have something to play for beyond bragging rights. Houston (6-4) is coming off back-to-back losses after blowing first-half leads and has lost three of its last four games.
Dallas (3-6), which will be without Dak Prescott for the remainder of the season, plans on making a late push to the playoffs behind the defense’s backbone. Parsons serves as the captain. In his return last week, he recorded two sacks and a forced fumble.
“You can tell they have been dinged up a little bit,” Stroud said of the Cowboys’ defense. “Micah was a big part of that. His presence was felt against the Eagles last week.”
Stroud hasn’t gone up against Pasons in his career, but he respects his craft in a similar regard to teammate Will Anderson Jr., calling both players “relentless pass rushers” when trying to reach the quarterback.
“He is what I see in Will and what I see from those guys from the sideline, where I’m like, ‘Man, I am glad I am not on the other team,’ ” Stroud said. “He is that guy where you have to be like, ‘We’ve got to do something for this dude.’ “
Parsons has become a face of the NFL’s defensive corps. Stroud has transformed into one of the league’s top passers.
Monday will mark the first time the Texans and Cowboys have played since 2022. That December, Stroud was preparing for a College Football Playoff semifinal at Ohio State.
He now plans on winning for Houston. Maybe the NFL will transform the Lone Star Showdown into an annual rivalry with the two frienemies as headliners?
“This will hopefully be one of many matchups,” Stroud said. “I wish him the best, and I always wish him the best.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 pm. The game will be nationally televised on ABC and ESPN.
